Three School Employees Accused of Stealing Over BD 86,000 Face Appeal Review

The Fifth High Criminal Court of Appeals has ordered a reassessment by an expert in the appeal of three employees of an industrial high school, previously convicted by a lower court of embezzling more than BD 86,000 from the school’s funds. The embezzlement allegedly involved forging official and private documents and using them to misappropriate the money. The court has scheduled the next session for October 1.

In the original verdict, the First Major Criminal Court sentenced the first defendant to 10 years in prison, fined him BD 75,204.345, and ordered him to return the same amount to the school. The second defendant received a 3-year prison sentence, a BD 10,897.550 fine, and was required to repay the same amount. The third defendant was sentenced to one year in prison, fined BD 790, and also ordered to return the embezzled funds.

During the previous hearing, the head of the Financial and Money Laundering Crimes Prosecution requested both in writing and verbally that the defendants receive the maximum possible penalties, citing the gravity of the charges. Evidence presented included testimonies from witnesses, admissions by the defendants, and material evidence such as the first defendant’s admission of guilt to the school principal, analysis of his devices, and a financial analysis report. These collectively confirmed the defendants’ involvement in forging official and private documents and using them to steal school funds.

Investigations by the Anti-Corruption Department revealed that the first and third defendants were responsible for financial transactions between the school and merchants. The first defendant, who handled financial affairs, was found to have collected checks in his own name and interfered in their issuance in violation of standard procedures. Checks should have been issued in the name of the commercial registries dealing with the school, not in individuals’ names, regardless of their positions.

Additionally, a financial investigations officer testified that the financial analysis of the defendants revealed multiple transactions, including cash withdrawals, transfers between the defendants and other beneficiaries, and purchase operations.